The only thing that stops the dust is the rain. It’s a sweet reprieve, but there is no middle ground. The land is either as dry as the Betty Ford clinic, or as wet as the ocean floor. Everything can be seen from the ridge overlooking Armadillo as John Marston gently bounces along atop...

The single-mission experience will be priced at $19.99 for current-gen platforms and $29.99 for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions. Since it is merely a primer for the next major installment, it won't be particularly long, as it is intended to serve as an introduction to The Phantom Pain.

Speaking to the differences between Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain, series mastermind Hideo Kojima explained:

The advanced capabilities of the FOX Engine have allowed me to tell the new story in a new way. There will be a significant difference in what The Phantom Pain brings to the series, so we want to ease players into the new open world environment and its potential. As such, Ground Zeroes has been designed to introduce key elements, allowing them to fully benefit from all that the new game will offer.

Are you psyched for a new Metal Gear in 2014? What do you think of all the changes Kojima Productions is making to the traditional MGS formula? Sound off in the comments below with your thoughts.